Machines for packaging articles, such as beverage bottles or cans, are adapted to segregate the flow of articles from an infeed conveyor to form groups of a predetermined number of articles. Each group is then moved in a downstream direction at the same speed as a moving row of carton sleeves or other form of receptacle and is subsequently inserted through an adjacent open end of the sleeve at a downstream loading station. Various ways of metering the flow of articles to form groups of the desired size have been employed, including metering screws having a pitch designed to segregate the articles into groups of a certain number and endless chains having spaced lugs which are inserted between predetermined trailing and leading articles of adjacent groups. Such metering means occupy considerable machine space, however, and cannot normally be quickly changed to a different size mechanism to enable the machine to package groups of different sizes.
Another type of metering means makes use of a pair of star wheels wherein one wheel is located so as to hold back the line pressure of the incoming articles and the other wheel accelerates a previously segregated group in its movement downstream. While star wheels of this type are adequate in some respects, they too are difficult and time consuming to replace in order to form different size groups of articles. Further, none of the existing metering systems conveniently allows the number of groups themselves that are to be inserted into a package to be readily changed. The need for such a change would occur, for example, when it is desired to change from simultaneously loading from both sides of a machine, as in loading a carton having a center keel, to loading from only one side into a carton sleeve containing no interior obstructions.
It would be highly desirable to be able to rapidly change the metering system of a packaging machine so as to form groups containing different numbers of articles. It is also necessary to be able to quickly modify the machine to move various size groups of articles to the downstream loading station and to transfer such groups into a moving receptacle.